The silence that followed Lucien's words felt heavier than any boardroom battle, media scandal, or corporate war they had survived together. The kidnapping had only been the first step. Seraphina sat across from him in the conference room, trying to absorb the implication. For months, they had battled against visible foes such as Evelyn, the media, corporate rivals, investigators, and shareholders, whose motives were traceable and comprehensible.
This was different; this was someone hidden, someone patient and someone operating beyond the surface. Lucien's phone rested on the table between them; neither reached for it, nor did either speak immediately. The conversation they had been having moments earlier still lingered in the air: her admission, his reaction, and the vulnerable truth she had finally spoken. She had been afraid of losing him, and now reality had interrupted before either of them could fully confront what that meant.
